“When to Not Ignore the Pain”
John P. Bradley, PT
Okay, the shoulder has been hurting for
about a month now, and you have tried everything. Heat has
been recommended by dozens of friends, and it has provided
only temporary relief. An equal number of friends and family
have vigorously refuted the use of heat and swear by ice,
but it too has not really helped. You are on a first name
basis with everyone at the drugstore from repeated trips to
purchase everything from over the counter pain relievers to
a seemingly endless array of salves, rubs, ointments and supposedly
miracle products to apply topically for pain. The next step
is to resurrect grandma’s book of home remedies and
try to find the cure for this nagging pain. Sound familiar?
As a physical therapist, I hear similar
stories from patients everyday. Most of my patients do not
run to their doctor or therapist at the first sign of an ache
or pain. Human nature being what it is, we all tend to “wait
things out”. Certainly, most of us age 40 or older wake
most mornings with more than a few uncomfortable areas, and
we often ignore them, accepting this phenomenon as normal.
So when should you not ignore an ache or pain?
Without hesitation, following any type of
accident, trauma or sudden injury, you should seek immediate
medical attention. As obvious as this seems, I have countless
histories from patients who delayed medical intervention following
a serious injury, ultimately complicating their recovery and
eventual outcome. But what about that pain or soreness that
just seemed to gradually develop? First, try to remember when
this actually started and what may have coincided with it.
Did you start a new exercise or sport? Was there some different
physical activity at home or work? (I am always inundated
with back, shoulder and leg strains with the start of gardening
season!). It is often normal to have muscle or joint soreness
with new or more vigorous activity, and this is often referred
to as “delayed onset muscle soreness”. But this
soreness should resolve in 2 to 3 days with resting the affected
bodypart and light stretching. The point here is to pay attention
to your body and take notice at the first signal of discomfort.
Pain that does not get better in a few days after the new
activity deserves to be evaluated by your physician.
If your pain is affecting the way you function
everyday, do not ignore it. What may start as knee pain with
walking or climbing stairs everyday could lead to back or
hip pain from limping or compensating with your body. Now
you have pain in multiple areas versus one.
Chronic but mild pain in any area of the
body that does not seem to change no matter what you do needs
definite attention. What you may feel as muscle pain in your
back that you have had for months could be coming from several
other areas not even related to your spine.
Pain is a very touchy subject. One person’s
pain may simply be another person’s sense of stiffness
or soreness. Tolerance to pain varies tremendously. With so
much uncertainty about interpreting pain on your own, why
take chances? See your physician to be sure if your pain is
normal for your current situation or if you need more evaluation
to find its source.
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